Tupac Shakur is scheduled to receive a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2014, according to Variety. The announcement was made yesterday (June 20) by the Hollywood Walk of Fame committee chairman David Green at a ceremony where Jennifer Lopez received her star, the 2,500th star awarded.
Shakur, who recorded music as 2Pac, will be awarded his star for his recording career. After touring as a roadie and dancer for Digital Underground, he earned his first major national notoriety when he appeared on Digital Underground’s 1991 single “Same Song,” which was featured in the film Nothing But Trouble. Later that year, Shakur released his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now. The 13-cut collection featured the singles “Trapped,” which discussed police brutality, and “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” which focused on a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant after being sexually abused.
Shakur’s next album, 1993’s Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…, included the hit singles “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around.” His third album, 1995’s Me Against The World, was released in the aftermath of his being shot in November 1994 while attending a recording session in New York and his being sentenced to prison in February 1995 for sexually abusing a fan in 1993. Me Against The World featured the single “Dear Mama,” an ode to Shakur’s mother Afeni Shakur. The collection also showcased Shakur exploring fear and paranoia in more detail than he had before, as evident on such selections as “If I Die 2Nite,” “So Many Tears” and “Death Around The Corner.” With Me Against The World, Tupac Shakur became the first artist to have an album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 while serving time in prison.
While incarcerated, Shakur was recruited by Death Row Records, which signed him to a recording contract and arranged for his release from prison. Shakur then teamed with Dr. Dre for “California Love” soon after his release from prison. The 1995 single marked his Death Row debut. Shakur’s first album for Death Row, 1996’s double disc All Eyez On Me, is one of the best-selling albums in Rap history and includes the singles “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted” and “How Do You Want It.” Shakur was killed in September 1996 in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He sold more than 38.5 million albums in his career, according to riaa.com.
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Shakur was also an accomplished actor, having appeared in a number of high-profile films, including 1992’s Juice, which also featured Omar Epps and Samuel L. Jackson. The film featured Shakur in his breakthrough role as the troubled character Bishop. Shakur’s other notable roles included the postal worker Lucky in 1993’s Poetic Justice and corrupt police officer Det. Rodriguez in 1997’s Gang Related.
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